The present invention relates to cheque processing, and is particularly directed to an apparatus and methods of reviewing deposited cheques, such as a cheque deposited at a self-service terminal like a cheque depositing automated teller.
A cheque depositing ATM allows a user to deposit a cheque in a public access, unattended environment. To deposit a cheque, a user inserts a user identification card through a user card slot at the cheque depositing ATM, enters the amount of the cheque being deposited, and inserts a cheque to be deposited through a cheque slot. A cheque transport mechanism receives the entered cheque and transports the cheque in a forward direction along a cheque transport path to a number of locations within the ATM to process the cheque. If the cheque is not accepted for deposit, the cheque is returned to the user via the cheque slot. If the cheque is accepted for deposit, the amount of the cheque is deposited into the user's account and the cheque is transported to and stored in a storage bin within the ATM. An endorser printer prints an endorsement onto the cheque as the cheque is being transported to the storage bin.
Cheques in the storage bin within the ATM are usually periodically picked up and physically transported via courier to a back office facility of a financial institution. At the back office facility, the cheques are prepared at a document preparation and tray building workstation for subsequent processing in an image-based cheque processing system located at the back office facility. In a first pass of cheques through the image-based check processing system, cheque image data which is representative of images of the cheques is captured. Then in a second pass of cheques through an image-based cheque processing system, the cheques are encoded and sorted and matched up with their corresponding cheque image data which was previously captured during the first pass of cheques. The second pass of cheques may be made through either the same image-based cheque processing system that the first pass of cheques was made or a different image-based cheque processing system. Cheques are processed in the first and second passes through the image-based cheque processing system(s) for purpose of clearing cheques between financial institutions, as is known.
As an alternative to capturing cheque image data in a first pass of cheques through an image-based cheque processing system located at the back office facility (which requires the cheques to be physically transported from the ATM to the back office facility before the first pass of cheques can be performed), proposals have been made to remotely capture cheque image data at the cheque depositing ATM. After cheque image data is captured in a “first pass” of cheques through the cheque depositing ATM, the remotely-captured cheque image data is sent electronically to the back office facility. At a later time, the cheques are picked up and physically transported via courier to the back office facility. Then, in a “second pass” of cheques through an image-based cheque processing system located at the back office facility, the cheques are encoded, sorted, and matched up with their corresponding cheque image data which was previously captured at the cheque depositing ATM and sent electronically to the back office facility. Before cheques can be processed in the “second pass” through the image-based cheque processing system, each physical cheque needs to be associated with its corresponding cheque image data which was previously received from the particular cheque depositing ATM at which the cheque was deposited.
From the vantage point of the financial institution receiving a deposited cheque, the receiving of a cheque deposited at a cheque depositing ATM is different from the receiving of a cheque deposited at a teller station. When a depositor deposits a cheque at a teller station, a human teller reviews the cheque before the amount of the cheque is actually deposited into the depositor's account. The human teller may review the physical cheque for negotiability. The human teller may also review certain available information about the depositor or the depositor's account. The human teller may place a hold on the deposited amount of the deposited cheque based upon review of the physical cheque and the information about the depositor or the depositor 's account.
In some known cheque depositing ATM applications, human operators usually located at a remote, centralized center are employed to review cheques which have been deposited at a cheque depositing ATM. In these known applications, the deposited cheques are reviewed by a human operator located at the remote, centralized center after the cheques have been processed through an image-based cheque processing system located at a back office facility. The remote, centralized center and the back office facility may be located at the same facility. It would be desirable for human operators reviewing deposited cheques to be able to review the deposited cheques for possible holds as early as possible.